Snafus are a New Zealand Football habit, writes Chris Rattue. Photo / Photosport
Snafus are a New Zealand Football habit, writes Chris Rattue. Photo / Photosport
OPINION:
LOSER: New Zealand Football
The hunt for a new All Whites coach is an embarrassing mess with the apparent first choice, former Football Ferns coach John Herdman, sticking with Canada (surprise surprise).
Snafus are a NZF habit — like all those phantom games allegedly arranged for the All Whitesover the years. It’s a miracle Fifa entrusted the Women’s World Cup to this country quite frankly.
The All Whites have the nearest thing to a free ride into the World Cup finals yet they are still making a mess of it.
Herdman’s public rejection of the job came at about the same time Auckland City were getting ripped apart by Egyptian club Al Ahly at the Club World Cup in Morocco, yet another game in which a top Kiwi side failed to score a goal.
New Zealand football desperately needs a tough-nut visionary to lead it out of this malaise.
WINNER/LOSER: Inclusivity
On one hand, former All Blacks prop Campbell Johnstone has fairly won plaudits for coming out as gay.
On the other hand, it’s hardly a sign that we’ve advanced much — as has been claimed — when public figures still have to make such a stand.
A few people I have talked to expressed surprise that it should still be considered a necessary story. They thought the world had moved on from that point. (So had I.)
And the idea that people should feel pressured into talking about their sexuality is hardly a vote for individual freedom.
Still, I admire Johnstone, for helping drag rugby and sport into the real world if that’s what needs to happen.
Bottom line: Of course there are gay or bisexual All Blacks/rugby players. Who cares? Announcing your sexuality feels passé...or should be.
Former All Black Campbell Johnstone speaking to TVNZ's Seven Sharp. Photo / TVNZ
WINNER: New Zealand Breakers
Won their final game of the regular season and claimed home advantage for a best-of-three semifinal series against Cairns or Tasmania.
The nail-biting win over Brisbane typified the Breakers’ newfound spirit under rookie head coach Mody Maor, after they finished bottom last season.
Spark Arena will be rocking for that opening game on Sunday. The second game is in Australia the following Thursday, and if needed the decider will be in Auckland three days later.
LOSER: Coach speak
Eddie Jones may have departed European rugby but the drivel keeps coming.
Wales coach Warren Gatland saw lots of “positives” after his team was humiliated 34-10 by Ireland in Cardiff.
THIRTY-FOUR TO TEN IN CARDIFF. Imagine the positives Ireland took out of that.
WINNER: Charlisse Leger-Walker
Washington State Cougars guard Charlisse Leger-Walker. Photo / Getty
The Waikato prodigy has again been named as a top-10 finalist for a major award in American college basketball. The Ann Meyers Drysdale award goes to the nation’s top shooting guard.
Leger-Walker is having an incredible season leading Washington State to its best-ever start.
This includes 40 and 35-point games and tellingly the Cougars’ win-loss record took a big hit when she had to return home, missing four games.
Can she make it to the WNBA? That’s the big question.
LOSER/WINNER: Arsenal
The latest set of EPL games started horribly for the league leaders, who were beaten by bottom-placed Everton, giving their new manager Sean Dyche an amazing debut.
But favourites Manchester City blew it against Tottenham Hotspur, a ridiculous piece of defending giving the great Harry Kane the chance to nail the game’s only goal and become Spurs’ all-time top goalscorer.
Many pundits expect the Manchester City challenge to gain pace, but it keeps stalling despite the record-chasing goal spree from Erling Haaland.
Harry Kane celebrates his goal. Photo / AP
WINNER: Tim Sherwood and the English Premier League
Former EPL player and manager Tim Sherwood has become my favourite English Premier League pundit.
The EPL is a fascinating competition with quality everywhere, including superb TV coverage.
It’s also a wonderful melting pot of nationalities in a divided and polarised world where scary dictators — or wannabe dictators — are running amok.
There are 207 Fifa nations and just over half of them have had players in the EPL, while about 70 countries are represented at the moment.
WINNER: Bob Charles
The 86-year-old Kiwi golfing great has finally nailed a hole-in-one at his local Christchurch Golf Club course, the 14th of his career.
The world record is held by an American Mancil Davis, who has had to battle doubters over his 51 aces.
Davis even took a lie detector test and has witnesses and sworn affidavits to back him up. One of his aces landed in the hole via a tree and sprinkler head.
LOSER: Imran Khan
“Having challenged myself more than others, I have experienced and evolved more than other people.”
So says ousted Pakistan PM Imran Khan, the cricketing great, in a revealing just-published interview in the New Yorker. Khan’s image has taken a hammering in many eyes during his political life.
WINNERS: Us…
…if just-retired quarterback superstar Tom Brady brings his A-game to the commentary booth. The seven-time NFL Super Bowl champion walks straight into a mega-deal with Fox.
